Ager History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

The name Ager has a long French heritage that first began in the northern region of Normandy. The name is derived from when the family lived in the former province of Anjou, which comprised parts of southern Armorica, Indre-et-Loire, and Sarthe. The ancient capital of Anjou was Angers and, from the 10th century, this region was a countship belonging to the Plantagenet dynasty. Anjou was attached to the English Crown in 1156, after Henry II, the son of the Count of Anjou, became King of England. However, the territory was recovered by Philippe II in 1206 and, in 1487, the province was secured as Crown land by the French Crown.

Early Origins of the Ager family

The surname Ager was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where the family held a family seat from ancient times.

Some of the family emigrated to England as in the Domesday Book of 1086, "several of the name are found. The principal land-owner among them, who is supposed to have been of Breton origin, held considerable estates in Devonshire under Baldwin de Meules." 1

"John de Aunger served as knight of the shire for Leicester in three of Edward I.'s parliaments, and in the first held by Edward II. Josceline D'Aunger in 1169 witnessed the foundation charter of Lanercost Abbey, and Ralph de Angers in the thirteenth century held lands in Wilts. Ralph de Aungers was Sheriff of Notts, 49 and 50 Henry III. " 1

Early History of the Ager family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Ager research. Another 264 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1060, 1083, 1568, 1629, 1634, 1638 and 1720 are included under the topic Early Ager History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ager Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous spelling alterations depending on the region and time it was used. The early development of the French language relied heavily on borrowing elements and grammar from other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Ager is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Anger, Angers, Angier, Ange, Dange, d'Angeros, Dangeros, d'Anger, d'Ange, d'Angier, d'Angers, Anget, Angay, Angey, Angé, d'Anget, d'Angay, d'Angey, d'Angé, Angger, Anggers, Anggier, d'Angger, d'Anggers, d'Anggier, Ager, Agey, d'Agey, Ageais, d'Ageais, Aggeais, Lange, Angerot, Dangerot, d'Angerot and many more.

Early Notables of the Ager family

Notable amongst the family in this period was

Nikolaus Ager (1568-1634), a French botanist born in Alsace, best known for his treatise De Anima Vegetiva (1629)

Ager Ranking

In the United States, the name Ager is the 16,657^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Ager migration to the United States +

French settlers came early to North American, following in the wake of the explorers, and creating New France. Quebec City, founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain is said to have been the first American site founded as a permanent settlement, rather than as just a commercial outpost. But emigration was slow, in 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 French people in Quebec, and by 1663, when the region was officially made The Royal Colony of New France, by Louis XIV, there still only around 500 settlers. Over 2,000 would arrive during the next decade. Early marriage was desperately encouraged amongst the immigrants. Youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted immigrants, both noble and commoner from France. By 1675, there were around 7000 French in the colony, and by that same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported to Louisiana. Despite the loss of the Colony to England, the French people flourished in Lower Canada. Among settlers to North America of the Ager surname were

Ager Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Ager, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1631 3
William Ager, who landed in Massachusetts in 1659 3
Robert Ager, who arrived in Maryland in 1675 3

Ager Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Ager, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 3
Jose Ager, who landed in Puerto Rico in 1854 3
John Ager, who arrived in Mississippi in 1877 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Ager (post 1700) +

Waldemar Ager (1869-1941), Norwegian-born, American newspaperman and author
Maurice Ager (b. 1984), American basketball player
Cecilia Ager (1902-1981), American film critic
Milton Ager (1893-1979), American composer
Nikolaus Ager (1568-1634), French botanist born in Alsace
James Ager Worthy (b. 1961), retired Hall of Fame American college and professional basketball player

The Ager Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fides
Motto Translation: Faith.

Citations +

Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 1 of 3
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)